5 months ago
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Almost each 2nd kid successful Terrassa, situated successful the autonomous portion of Catalonia successful northeastern Spain, plays hockey successful schoolhouse with utmost passion. It is that popular.
Terrassa is location to astir 10 hockey clubs, the astir salient being Club Egara, Atlètic Terrassa, and CD Terrassa Hockey.
Speaking connected the sport’s deep-rooted popularity, Spain’s caput coach, Oriol Puig Torras, during the ongoing FIH Junior Men’s hockey World Cup, said: “Terrassa is 20 minutes by car from Barcelona. When you locomotion connected the streets successful Terrassa, you tin spot children with a instrumentality successful their manus wrong the bus. And astir ever it’s hockey.”
Despite a hockey civilization that spans much than a century, Spain has struggled to person this popularity into planetary success. Puig attributed the deficiency of consistency to Spain’s hockey ecosystem which remains constrained by finances.
“It’s hard due to the fact that successful our country, the fund for hockey is limited, arsenic it is not a afloat nonrecreational sport. It’s not a hobby either, but it’s much than a hobby. I’d telephone it semi-professional due to the fact that players don’t gain a wage playing the sport. Maybe 2 oregon 3 players earn,” helium said.
Puig besides pointed to structural challenges. Unlike European rivals, Spain lacks regular, high-intensity competition.
“Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands play each different each year, astir each month. The distances are rather short. But for america to spell to Belgium for 1 weekend, iis excessively expensive,” helium explained.
Spain is known for their possession-based hockey built connected short, slick passing and method excellence alternatively than physicality. Looking up to the acme clash against Germany successful the inferior men’s World Cup astatine the SDAT–Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium present connected Sunday, Puig — successful his 2nd World Cup stint arsenic caput manager — admitted that it was a challenge.
“It’s 60–40 successful favour of Germany. Moreover, we person 15 Catalans successful our team, who are not precise gangly oregon carnal successful their game. Germany, of course, is much carnal than us. I deliberation it each boils down to the emotions. We are looking guardant to play successful our maiden final,” helium said.
